Protect Me
Rivers Edge Book 4
By Lacey Black
Nate Stevens loves three things: Work, Family, Women. In that order. Having absolutely no desire to follow in three of his siblings’ footsteps by settling down, Nate lives for his work as a firefighter. That’s why his chance meeting with Lia leaves him unsettled like never before. There’s just something about the beautifully shy and reserved woman that he can’t walk away from.
Run. Hide. Keep moving. That’s exactly what Lia Walker has done for the last nine months. Escaping from her past, Lia continues to move from place to place before finding herself in the small town of Rivers Edge, Missouri. Following a chance encounter with her new boss’ brother, Nate, which leaves Lia feeling confused and vulnerable for the first time in months, Lia has to make a decision: to run or to stay.
When pasts are finally exposed, Nate and Lia find themselves at a crossroads. Nate will do anything to protect Lia from her past, but the question remains: Will Lia let him? When Lia’s past finally catches up with her, will running be the only way to protect the ones they love most in this world?
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Excerpt
The smell of bacon and coffee wakes me from the best night of sleep I’ve ever had. Muscles I didn’t even know existed are screaming their protest as I stretch against the cool sheets. The other side of the mattress where Nate slept mere hours ago is vacant, but the smells coming from the kitchen tell me he isn’t too far away.
My mind fills with memories of Nate waking me up in the very early morning. He was gentle as he worshiped my body, bringing me to orgasm no less than twice that time, too. My body is singing as I climb out of bed and reach for a shirt. Nate’s shirt from last night is thrown on the end of the bed along with all of the clothes we were both wearing yesterday, so I slide the big shirt over my head and walk into the hall to the bathroom. The shirt still smells deliciously like Nate. It’s all musky and rich with just a hint of sweat. I can’t help but run my nose along the cotton material as I inhale deeply yet again.
After using the bathroom and brushing my teeth, I head out to the kitchen to see what kind of deliciousness Nate has cooked up. My stomach growls loudly as I turn the corner and stop dead in my tracks. The sight before me is so damn sexy that I can’t even laugh at how comical it is.
Nate stands at my stove, frying bacon, and wearing nothing but my white apron. And I mean nothing but my apron. The ties are wrapped around his lean waist and tied around his amazing lower back. Muscles move and strain as he works the tongs, flipping the bacon.
Nate’s back is a-freaking-mazing! There is no other word to describe it. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life. I had no clue that definition and muscles like that existed. The tribal designed tattoo spread across his shoulder blades is dark with hard lines and looks so astounding stretched across his taut muscles.
But the muscles of his ass are what hold my attention right now. I wish I had a quarter because I’m pretty sure I could bounce it off his rear and get some serious air. Below his butt are the most well-defined, muscled thighs and calves I’ve ever seen. They scream power as he stands there in front of my stove.
I will never be able to wear that apron again. The mental image I will carry with me for the rest of my life of Nate wearing it this morning is something I will never, ever forget. It’ll be one of the happiest memories I will cherish as I continue to move from place to place, searching for the life I know is out there. One that makes me feel safe and sound. One that is so very close to how I feel with Nate.
He moves towards the skillet, grabs the spatula, and flips what appears to be French toast. I have died and gone to heaven. I don’t know when it happened, but there is no way this is actually happening in real life.
“Hey,” he says with a huge grin and sparkling eyes, breaking me from the trance of my private thoughts.
“Huh?” I ask, wondering how long he’s been talking to me and I’ve been staring at his bare ass.
“Enjoying the view?” he asks with another hint of laughter.
“I never thought my apron would look so good,” I reply with pinked cheeks.
“Well, bacon grease isn’t something you want splattering in this region,” he says waving a hand at his white apron covered package. A package that is thickening and saluting me before my lust-filled eyes.
“Breakfast first, beautiful,” Nate says with a smirk, drawing my gaze back up to his handsome face.
“Are you sure?” I ask, walking towards him and stopping right in front of him. I run my hands up his bare chest and along his well-defined shoulders.
Nate clears his throat before replying, “Yes. You need food.” He leans forward and kisses me square on the lips. “And energy for what’s going to happen as soon as I take my shirt back,” he says with a wink.
Other Books by Lacey Black
Trust Me Rivers Edge Series – Book 1 (FREE)
After all of the devastating betrayals by the one she loved, Twenty-two year old Avery Stevens has spent three years raising her daughter alone, with her family and best friend as a support system, never leaving her small hometown of Rivers Edge, Missouri. Though Rivers Edge holds the pain of her past, it also holds the one person she wants but can’t have – her brother’s best friend, Maddox Jackson. When she learns the attraction might not be one-sided, will Avery be able to trust Maddox with the one thing she’s held onto tightly for the past few years?
Police officer Maddox Jackson is a ladies’ man with one foot out the door. Never planning to settle down, Maddox fights the attraction he feels for his best friend’s little sister, Avery. But can he continue to fight it when his body and his heart are leading him to the one woman he shouldn’t want?
When secrets are finally exposed, can Avery and Maddox trust each other enough to overcome the past, handle the present, and preserve their future? Can Avery trust Maddox with her heart? Will Maddox be able to convince Avery to take the chance?
**This book is intended for an audience of 18 or older due to graphic sex scenes and language.
Fight Me Rivers Edge Series - Book 2
Jake Stevens has it made. A local police officer with an open invitation to any number of beds around town, Jake has no desire to settle down with any of the ladies he entertains by night. After watching his best friend fall in love with his little sister, Jake is certain that love and marriage just aren’t in his cards. Heck, he’s not even playing with the same deck.
After Jake encounters a blast from the past one night, he finds himself swimming in uncharted waters. For the first time, Jake has found a woman he can’t get out of his mind. The kicker? The woman wants nothing to do with him.
Erin Anderson returns to the small Missouri town of Rivers Edge for a job after a twenty year absence. Erin spent years loathing the memory of Jake Stevens for his cruelness back in seventh grade. Now, Jake appears to be the same self-centered player he was in junior high, and no one seems to be able to push her button the way the cocky, yet devastatingly handsome cop does.
Between circumstances that keep thrusting them together and Jake’s persistence to annoy her, Erin struggles to fight her growing feelings for Jake. But, can Erin get past the hurt she felt all those years ago at the hands of a young Jake? Can Jake show Erin that what they have is worth fighting for?
Expect Me Rivers Edge Series -Book 3
Travis Stevens struggles to move on and forget about the one amazing night he spent tangled up in the sheets with a beautiful woman who disappeared just before dawn. Now she’s just a memory that he can’t ignore. But what do you do when the woman invades your thoughts day and night?
Josselyn McCray spent one perfect night wrapped up in the strong arms of a handsome stranger before running out in the early morning light. Now she’s out of money and luck and forced to make some life-altering decisions about her future. A future that is going to involve the man she hasn’t been able to forget.
Brought together by one night of passion, Travis and Josselyn are now linked forever. Will Travis and Josselyn be torn apart by demanding responsibilities and the stresses of getting to know each other? Or will they overcome the odds and find their way to happily ever after?
One thing is certain: life isn’t always what you expect.
*This book is intended for an audience of 18 or older due to graphic sex scenes and language.
**Can be read as a standalone but would be better enhanced by reading the previous books.
Promise Me Rivers Edge Series -Book 4
Holly Jenkins watched her best friend finally get her happily ever after. While there’s no one more deserving than Avery Jackson, Holly can’t fight the longing and ache that settles in her chest when she thinks about her own solitary life. After kissing so many frogs, Holly starts to wonder if Prince Charming even exists.
Jase Bentley is worn out. As lead singer of the award winning rock band, Bent, Jase has everything he could possibly ever want at his fingertips. When you’re on top, the music industry moves everything within arm's reach; money, fame, and women just ripe for the plucking. Everything except for the one thing he’s really looking for. The one dream he can’t seem to make come true.
What happens when two people from different worlds meet and are thrust into unfamiliar and unsettling territory? Can Holly navigate the demands of dating someone with a high profile profession? Can Jase walk away from the only lifestyle he’s ever known for the first woman who’s ever made him want to?
Promises are made, but can they keep them?
Author Bio
Lacey Black is a Midwestern girl with a passion for reading, writing, and shopping. She carries her e-reader with her everywhere she goes so she never misses an opportunity to read a few pages. Always looking for a happily ever after, Lacey is passionate about contemporary romance novels and enjoys it further when you mix in a little suspense. She resides in a small town in Illinois with her husband, two children, and a chocolate lab. Lacey loves watching NASCAR races and should only consume one mixed drink because she’s a lightweight.
Lacey’s debut novel, Trust Me, was released in August 2014. It spent several weeks in the top 100 in contemporary romance on Amazon’s Top 100 Best Sellers for e-books. Fight Me, book 2 in the Rivers Edge series, released December 2014 and was followed by Expect Me, Rivers Edge book 3 in February 2015 and Promise Me: A Novella in April 2015. All were Amazon Best Sellers in contemporary romance.
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